Thread throwing machine



Jan. 23, 1940. c, H K 2,188,242

THREAD THROWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 8, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 23, 1940.

J. c. HOUCK 2,188,242

THREAD THROWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 8, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Jan. 23, 1940. J HQUCK 2,188,242

THREAD THROWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 8, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORN EY 1 J. c. HOUCK ,24

v THREAD THROWING MACHINE Filed 001:, 8, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet-4 INVENTOR BY I .i l

ATTORN EY Patented Jan. 23, 1940 PATENT ()FFlCE 2,188,242 THREAD THROWING MACHINE John C. Houck, Scranton,

half to Wickham Bros,

Pa., assignor of onea firm comprising Ezra. F. Wickham and Alfred F. Wickham,

Scranton, Pa.

Application October 8, 1936, Serial No. 104,724

13 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in thread throwing machines generally, and is especially applicable to the so-called combined doublertwisters which are employed for doubling as well as twisting a plurality of threads.

The doubling and twisting machines of the prior art while combining the doubling and give the threads twisting operations which formerly had to be performed separately have very distinct limitations. For instance, with known types of doubling and twisting machines it is impossible, without employing a special double feed roll construction, to more than from ten to seventeen twists to the inch without breaking some of them, especially when the Thread having only from ten to seventeen twists per inch is suitable only for stocking tops, etc.,

' and even with the use of the special double feed roll attachment from thirty to sixty twists per lineal inch is the maximum that can beobtained under most favorable conditions. Even this is below many commercial requirements as to thread twist. Therefore, in most instances, the bobbins of the doubled and twisted thread product coming from the doubler-twisters now used have to be applied to a second throwing machine which adds the necessary additional number of twists to the threadproduct to meet a particular one of the many twist requirements.

Additionally, it is impossible with known types of doubler-twister and other throwing machines to wind the doubled and twisted threads onto any type of bobbin other than the flanged ended type, and this is so whether a special double feed roll is used or not. Therefore, since the final thread product coming from the doubler-twister or the special twister last mentioned is ordinarily resuired to be on quills, cones, cops or the like, having no end flanges, it is necessary that the flanged bobbins of the thread product be run onto cones, quills or cops on a third machine.

Still further, with the doubler-twister and other thread throwing machines mentioned the thread is wound on the bobbins in continuous layers from one end of the bobbin to the other, such layers being superposed upon one another. This is objectionable in that it not only limits the number of twists per inch that may be given the 'threads, but also results in a great lack of uniformity of twist in that many more twists per inch will be put into thread adjacent the core of the bobbin as compared to thread layers remote therefrom. Also, the application of threadlayers' of a length equal to the length of a cop, quill, cone or the like, makes snarling and breakage of bobbin is pretty well filled.

thread likely when it is unwound in the operation of certain types of machines, such as looms.

It is therefore the primary object of my present invention to overcome all the aforementioned difficulties with present types of thread throwing 6 machines, and particularly to provide means whereby a conventional doubler-twister machine without the double feed roll attachment, will produce thread having upwards of one hundred turns per lineal inch; and which means also adapts 10 such machine for quill, cop or cone winding in the same operation, thus obviating the necessity of subsequent operations on separate machines.

The invention also resides in the provision, in a doubler-twister machine, of a novel and. considerably simplified spinner ring-carrying rail, the used which, however, is optional, as the invention can be applied to machines having the old type of rail.

Still another object of the invention is to pro- 20 vide novel means for shortening the vertical stroke of the spinner ring carrying-rail, so that it will traverse at each stroke but a fraction of the length of the quill, bobbin, or the like, instead of the full length of same as now; and which 25 means can be easily incorporated in standard doubler-twister machines without substantial modification thereof.

The invention further contemplates the provision, in a doubler-twister or other thread 30 throwing machine, of means for progressively elevating the spinner ring relatively of the rail; and also in the provision of a stop motion operator which is adapted to be operated when the cone, quill, or the like, is full.

The foregoing and tages of the invention are attained by certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of various parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, and which are incorporated in the doubler-twister machine illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the machine shown in the drawings is to be taken merely as illustrative, as it will be obvious that the invention is susceptible of other mechanical expression within the spirit and scope of the subject matter claimed hereinafter.

In the drawings, wherein the same reference characters have been used to designate the same parts in all views,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary end elevational view of a familiar type of doubler-twister machine illustrating the application of my invention thereto;

other objects and advan- 35 Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken just to the right of, and looking toward, the threaded spindle-carried quill 52 of Figure 1, but with the feed rolls and their stands removed, and illustrating the ring rail and pipe rails, and the means for moving the rings progressively upwardrelatively of the ring rail, this View further showing a novel pipe rail-carried stop lever-operating means engaging the ring mount and being actuated thereby;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the parts shown in Figure 2, but showing the ring mount in a different position relatively of the spindle;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the ring, its

mount and the means for progressively elevating the ring mount relatively of the rail, which latter is shown in cross-section;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a ratchet-operating dog incorporated in the means for progressively actuating the ring mount relatively 'of the ringrail;

Figure 6 is a topplan view of one of the rings and its mount, and showing a portion of the rail and associated parts;

Figure 7 is a group perspective view of the ringmounting plate;

Figure 81s a cross-sectional view through the stop motion girt and knock-off shaft, and illustrating the novel ring mount stop motion operatorabout to operate the stop motion.

Referring specifically to the drawings by .ref- ,erence characters, numeral I denotes one end ,1 of the frame of a doubler-twister machine having the usual pin rail girt 2, pin rails 3, bobbinsupporting pins 4, and stop motion girt 5, to

which latter the lower ends of the pin rails 3 are attached. A series of bobbins 6 is shown carried by the pins 4 of one pin rail 3 for su plying threads 6a to the left-most doubling and twisting unit shown in Figure l.

The machine comprehends the usual complementary arrangement of doubling and twisting units arranged'in series at opposite sides of the machine; but since they-are duplicates of one another a description of the one at the left in Figure 1 will suffice for all.

The stop motion unit, generally designated at 1, is old and well-known, and is best shown in Figures land 8, as having the stand 'ia secured to stop motion girt 5; The upper end of the usualvertical stop rod '8 is projected upwardly through the bearing lb of stop motion stand 7a by meansof .the'usual coil spring (not shown), and has fixed thereon the stop lug 8a. Stop lug 8a is normally engaged by the conventional notch Illa of stop motion latch Ill, which is pivoted as at lllb intermediate its ends to the lower part of stop motion stand la. 'Ihisholds stop rod 8 down.

When one of "the threads 6a breaks, the weighted foot Ha of its drop wire I! is permitted to rock rearwardly about theclrop wire pin 12, which is carried by the forwardly extending arms 'lc of stop motion stand la. Thus, drop wire foot Ila engages and depresses the bight portion of the wire yoke l3 and rocks clockwise the short lever to which the legs of yoke I 3 are fast. Lever M is pivoted intermediate its ends on pin Ma in the bifurcated lower end I 00 of stop lever H); and the downward rocking of the yoke l3 rocks the rear end of the arm [4 upwardly into the path of knock-off member 1511' on the usual constantly rocking knock-off shaft l5, which is supported from stop motion girt 5.

'ments can be better through a hole in the flange of This results in stop motion latch l0 being rocked counter-clockwise to disengage its notch Illa from the stop rod lug 8a at the upper end of stop rod 8. Stop rod 8 now moves upwardly under the action of its usual spring (not shown). Stop rod 8, through its connection with the usual driven gear-carrying hood l6 interrupts the drive of feed roll H from driven shaft 58; and through its customary operative connection I9, 20 2! (see Figure l) with the horizontally swingable mount of roller 22 actuates the latter against drive belt 23 to press it out of driving engagement with the cylindrical drive portion 24a of spindle 2d. The usual pipe rails l8a (Figure la and 3) support the feed roll drive shafts l8 and have the usual connecting clamps [8b, which provide vertical bearings I80 for stop rods 8, as indicated in Figure 3.

All the foregoing structure is old and wellknown in the art, and is referred to generally erein, so that the application of my improveunderstood.

In carrying out my invention, I preferably provide the novel T-shaped ring rail 26 (see Figure 2) which serves to carry the series of rings 25 at each side of the machine. This dispenses with the necessity for the usual v connected ring rails, each carrying a series of rings 25.

Ring rail 26 is supported by'the usual group transverse motion which includes slide rods 21 working through the bearings 21a in the longitudinal frame shelf 28. The lower end of each slide rod 21 is pivoted to one end of a rocker lever 29 whose opposite end is preferably weighted, as at 29a. Bearings 38, secured to shelf 28, pivotally support rocker levers 29 at 29b intermediate their ends; and point each rocker lever 29 has a fixed depending arm 29c. Toggle rods 3! pivotally connect the several arms 290 with the depending arm 32a of a bell-crank 32 having a roller 321) on its other arm which rides on a cam 33, which latter is fast on a driven transverse shaft 34.

Shaft 34 is driven by the driven by the Worm 36 on the end of driven shaft 37. Thus, ring rail-operating means is conventional except that cam 33 is made much smaller than usual, so that instead of the ring rail 26'having'a stroke length equal to the full height of 'quills or cops 52, etc., on spindles 24, the length of its working stroke will be only a minor fraction of the length of such quills 52, etc. This ring rail stroke length reduction is very important, as will be presently apparent. To recapitulate, the features of novelty hereinabove described, they comprise firstly, the T- shaped ring rail 26 (Figure 2); and secondly, the use of the smaller than usual rail-actuating cam -33 for shortening the rail stroke. The other structure thus far described is old.

Coming now to further features of novelty in the structure shown, and referring to Figure 4, it is noted that an individual builder motion is provided. for each spindle 24 and that each ring 25 which is incorporated therein is detachably rail 25, is slidably mounted on the stop rod 8 and simply rests upon ring rail 26 in its lowermost position. Plate 38 has the sleeve 38$ slidably receiving stop rod '8,

rail 26 when plate 38 is in its lowermost position (see left unit -ofFigure 2).

separate interat such pivot The ring mount, or plate 38, has the cut out 38a (Figures 4 and 7) fitting into the side grooves 48d of a removable nut 48 whose rear edge has the slot 485 which communicates with the tapped hole 480. The threads of hole 480 take with the threaded lower portion 4| a. of the vertical rod 4|, whose lower end is rotatably carried by ring rail 26, as indicated at 2611 in Figures 2 and 3. I A pressure spring 43 having one end 43a engaged in the edge bore 43b of nut 48 and the other end 430 soldered or otherwise secured to the edge portion 38b of ring mount or plate 38 (see Fig. 6) serves to yieldably hold nut 48 in recess 38a, so that its threads will engage those of rod portion 4|a. A lever 42 (see Figs. 4, 6 and 7) pivoted as at 42a; to plate 38 has a cam end 4212 engaging the slotted end of nut 48. When lever 42 is manually swung clockwise (Figure 6) the cam end 42b of lever 42 will actuate nut 48 cutwardly in cut out 38a to effect disengagement of its threads from those of rod portion Ma.

The upper unthreaded portion of rod 4| slidably extends through a bearing in an arm 44 (see Fig. 4) extending laterally from a set collar 45 which is secured in a predetermined adjusted position on the adjacent stop rod 8 by means of a set screw 451%. Figure 3 indicates that the upper end of rod 4| extends between adjacent ones of the pipe rails |8a which carry the feed roll shafts 8, as shown in Fig. 1.

Fast on rod 4| at the upper end of the threaded part Mat is the hub of a ratchet disk 46 (see Figs. 2, 3 and 4) which is adapted to be acted upon by the depending pawl 41 of the collar 25 of stop rod 8 when rod 4| is actuated upwardly with ring rail 26 and ring 25 by cam 33.

, Pawl 41 is pivoted as at 48 (see Fig. 2) to one side of the collar 45 and Figure 5 illustrates that the downward movement of the pawl 41 is limited by the pin 49, so as to properly position the pawl to engage the subjacent teeth of ratchet disk 46. By appropriate adjustment of the pawl-carrying collar 45 on stop rod 8, engagement of pawl 41 with ratchet disk 46 can be effected at different points short of the top limit of upward travel of the ratchet disk 46. Thus, actuation of ratchet disk 46 and rod 4| the distance of one or more teeth on the ratchet disk can be efiected at will.

It will be evident that the step-by-step rotation of the rod 4| in its bearing provided by rail 26 will, due to the threaded engagement of the lower portion 4|a. with the threaded hole 480 of nut 48, effect progressive elevation of the ring 25 and its mounting plate 38 relatively of the ring rail 26. This, taken with the fact that the length of the vertical transversing movement of ring rail 26 is shorter than the height of the quill 52 on spindle 24, effects a progressive filling of the quill 52 from its lower end. When the upper end of the quill is reached, the same will be full and the thread thereon will be disposed in interlocking or overlapping layers, all of shorter length than the quill. This interlocking of progressively overlapping thread layers obviates the need for a bobbin having end flanges and enables me to wind the thread directly onto a cop, quill or cone. It also facilitates the unwinding of thread from the quill 52 when carried in the shuttle of a loom.

Means is provided for automatically operating the stop motion 1 (Figures 1 and 8) to stop the feed rolls I1 and spindle drive connection 23, 24a. rThis comprises the slide wire 58, which is shown in Figures 2 and 3, as mounted for upward sliding movement in guide eyes in the lateral ends 5|a, 5| 6 of an upstanding guide member 5|. The lower end 5|a of guide member 5| is secured by screw 54 of pipe rail clamp 53. The lower end of the slide wire 58 carries the collar 55 (see Fig. 3) which is adjustably secured thereto by means of set screw 55a, and which collar has the depending wire finger 56.

The upper end of the slide wire 58 is provided with the head 58a which normally engages the upper lateral bearing end 5|b of member 5| (see Fig. 8) to limit downward movement of said slide wire 58. Head 58a of slide wire 58 is aligned with the stop motion lever l4 whereby to effect operation of the stop motion 1 by knock-off shaft l5 when the slide wire 58, 56, has been engaged and elevated by the ring mount or plate 38 to approximately the upper end of the quill or bobbin 52.

The operation may be briefly summarized as follows:

The threads or ends 6a from bobbins 4 are trained through guide eyes of drop wires through the other guide eyes and about the feed roll I! as usual, and are passed through the traveller 25a (see Figs. 2 and 6) of ring 25 and secured to quill 52 on spindle 24. Stop rod 8 is latched down by notch |8a of stop motion latch I8 and this effects driving engagement of spindle portions 2411 with belt 23; and also eifects driving connection of feed roll I! with shaft l8, both in usual manner. Ring rail traverses slowly up and down. Its traverse is shorter than the height of quill 52 due to small cam 33 and the up stroke starts with ring 25 about even with the lower end of quill 52.

Adjacent the top limit of the upstroke of rail 26 the ratchet disk 46 engages pawl 41 of stop rod 8. This results in the ratchet disk 46, and the rod4|, 41a to which the disk is fast, being given. a part turn equal to the distance between oneor more teeth on ratchet disk 46. Through engagement of the threaded rod portion 4|a with the threads of ring mount nut 48, each part turnof rod 4|, 4|a actuates ring mount 38 upwardlyrelatively of rail 26 and spindle 24.

This gradual step-by-step advancement of the mount-carried ring 25 toward the upper end of the quill 52 on spindle 24, at each upward stroke of rail 26 continues until the quill is full. At such time, the ring mount or plate 38 will engage the finger 56 of slide wire 58 and actuate head 58a'against lever M of stop motion 1 to raise its inner end into the path of the knock-off member |5a of the constantly rocking knock-off shaft l5. Since lever i4 is carried by stop latch I8, the latter will be rocked counter-clockwise to disengage its notch |8a from stop lever lug 8a. Stop rod 8 then moves upwardly to disengage the drive connections of spindle 24 and feed roll I! in the usual manner.

The full quill is now removed and lever 42 is rocked to actuate nut 48 outwardly in cutout 38a of ring mount 38 to free the threaded portion-Ma of rod 4| from the threads of the nut hole 480 and ring mount 38 drops to its starting position on rail 26.

As will be obvious, it is possible on each upstroke of rail 26 to turn rod 4| a distance equal to one or several teeth on ratchet disk 46 by adjustment of the pawl carrying collar 25 on stop rod 8; or for that matter, by adjustment of ratchet disk 46 on rod 4|. pawl collar 45 and ratchet disk 46 on rods 8, 4|, respectively, also adapts the machine for quills, cops, cones, etc., of differentsizes.

The adjustability of The adjustability of the finger-carrying collar on the stop motion-operating slide wire 50 provides for automatic stopping of the winding operation after ring mount 38 has moved predetermined distances upwardly from rail 26. This is important because, as indicated, the lengths of quills, cops, cones, etc., vary as indicated hereinabove.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is: I

1. The combination with a thread throwing machine having a driven vertically traversing ring rail, there being banks of spinning units at each side of the machine, each spinning unit including a package-carrying spindle, a spinning ring, and a stop motionunit having a stop rod; of a separate mount for each spinning ring and slidable on its associated stop rod, said ring rail being adapted to support the spinning rings in their lowermost positions, cooperating means in part carried by said stop rods, their associated ring mounts and ring rail, said cooperating means engaging upon each traverse of the rail in a manner to efiect progressive elevating of the ring mounts from the rail, and means for driving the ring rail in a traverse the length of each stroke of which is less than the length of the spindles.

'2. The combination set forth in claim 1, and a stop motion-operating means for each spinning unit and positioned 'to be engaged by one of its ring and mount members when the package on the spindle is full.

3. In a thread throwing machine, the combination with its stop motion and stop rod, and its vertically traversingly driven ring rail, and package-carrying spindle; of a spinning ring slidably mounted onsa'ld stop rod, an upstanding threaded rod rotatably journalled in said rail, a nut carried by said ring and taking with the threads of said threaded rod, and means in part carried by saidstop rod and in part by said threaded rod'and engageable at a predetermined point in each traverse of said rail, whereby to give the threaded rod a part turn in a direction to progressively elevate the ring from said rail.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3, and astop-motion operating member engaged by said ring upon predetermined elevation of the same from said rail.

5. The combination set forth in claim 3, and means for disengaging said nut from said threaded rod whereby the ring can be lowered to starting position adjacent said rail.

6. The combination set forth in claim 3, and a stop-motion operating member positioned to be engaged by said ring upon a predetermined elevation of the same from said rail, means normally holding said nut in engagement with said threaded rod, and means for actuating said nut out of engagement with said threaded rod.

"7. The combination with a thread throwing machine having a vertically reciprocating ring rail and including a spinning unit comprising a driven package-carrying spindle, a driven thread-feeding means, a spinning ring having a traveller, and a stop motion unit for effecting stoppage of the drive of the spindle and thread feeding means; of means for traversingly driving said ring rail in a path shorter than the length of the package on the spindle, guide means for said spinning ring and carried by said ring rail,

said guide means mounting said ring for vertical sliding movement relatively of said rail and spindle, means including said guide means for progressively elevating said ring in step-by-step fashion from said rail upon successive strokes of the latter, and a stop motion operator actuated by said ring after predetermined movement of the same relatively of the rail.

8. The combination with a thread throwing machine having a vertically reciprocating ring rail and including a spinning unit comprising a driven package-carrying spindle, a driven threadfeeding means, a spinning ring having a traveller, and a stop motion unit for effecting stoppage of the drive of the spindle and thread feeding means; of means for traversingly driving said ring rail in a path shorter than the length of the package on the spindle, guide means for said spinning ring and carried by said ring rail, said guide means mounting said ring for vertical sliding movement relatively of said rail and spindle, means including said guide means for progressively elevating said ring in step-by-step fashion from said rail upon successive strokes of the latter, and a ring-carried member incorporated in said ring-elevating means and operable to release the ring for movement toward the ring rail when a spindle package has been filled.

9. The combination with a thread throwing machine having a vertically reciprocating ring rail and including a spinning unit comprising a driven package-carrying spindle, a driven thread-feeding means, a spinning ring having a traveller, and a stop motion unit for effecting stoppage of the drive of the spindle and thread feeding means; of means for traversingly driving said ring rail in a path shorter than the length of the package on the spindle, guide means for said spinning ring and carried by said ring rail, said guide means mounting said ring for vertical sliding movement relatively of said rail and spindle, means including said guide means for progressively elevating said ring in step-bystep fashion from said rail upon successive strokes of the latter, and a stop-motion operator actuated by said ring after a predetermined movement of the same relatively of the rail, and a ring-carried member incorporated in said ringelevating means and operable to release-the ring for movement toward the ring rail when a spindle package has been filled.

10. An improvement in multiple down ring spinning frames comprising a ring rail, means for reciprocating the ring rail with respect to spindles carried by the frame, an auxiliary builder motion individual to each spindle carried by said ring rail, and means associated with each individual builder motion for stopping the associated package when the same has reached a predetermined length without affecting the .continued building of any other package.

11. An improved multiple down ring spinning machine comprising a group traverse motion adapted to reciprocate a ring rail with respect to a group of spindles carried by the frame, an individual builder motion for each spindle also carried by said ring rail, and means associated with each individual builder motion for rendering the same inoperative upon completion of an individual package, said means being operative Without contact with the yarn package.

12. An improved multiple down ring spinning machine comprising a spindle supporting rail, .a rail adapted to have vertical reciprocation with respect to said spindle supporting rail, spindles carried by said spindle supporting rail, a traverse motion adapted .to reciprocate said reciprocatory rail, an individual builder motion for each spindle adapted to partake of movement of said recip- I rocatory rail, stop motion means associated with each individual builder motion for rendering the same inoperative upon the breaking of a thread supplied thereto without interfering with said group traverse motion or any other individual builder motion, and a stop motion actuator for each individual builder motion and operable independently of one another when the associated individual package is full.

13. The combination with a thread throwing machine having a vertically reciprocating ring rail and including a spinning unit comprising a driven package-carrying spindle, a driven threadfeeding means, a spinning ring having a traveller,

and a stop motion unit for effecting stoppage of the drive of the spindle and thread feeding means; of means for traversingly driving said ring rail in a path shorter than the length of the package on the spindle, guide means for said spinning ring and mounting said ring for vertical sliding movement relatively of said rail and spindle, means for progressively elevating said ring in step-by-step fashion from said rail upon successive strokes of the latter, and a stop motion operator actuated by said ring after predetermined movement of the same relatively of the rail.

v JOHN C. HOUCK. 

